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ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the working hypothesis that the EEG activity associated to non-painful and painful stimuli in condition of waking state (no hypnotic procedure) was related to the hypnotizability level. METHODS: Hypnotizability level was measured in 16 healthy subjects through the Italian version of the Stanford Hypnotic Susceptibility Scale (SHSS, score: 0-12). EEG data (56 electrodes) were recorded during non-painful and painful electrical stimuli applied to the left index finger. Cortical activity (vertex N1-P2 complex) was compared in subjects with low hypnotizability level (N=8, SHSS:0-6) vs. subjects with high hypnotizability level (N=8, SHSS:7-12). RESULTS: The amplitude of the N1-P2 complex was lower in the High-hypnotizability compared to the Low-hypnotizability group over primary sensorimotor cortex (C3 and C4 electrodes) and centro-parietal midline areas (Cz and Pz electrodes) for non-painful and painful stimuli. The SHSS showed a statistically significant negative correlation with the vertex N1-P2 complex at C3 and Cz (r=-0.5, p<0.05) electrodes for non-painful stimuli. CONCLUSION: Compared to the Low-hypnotizability subjects, High-hypnotizability subjects showed a reduced cortical activity related to non-painful and painful stimuli. SIGNIFICANCE: The results suggest a relationship between hypnotizability and cortical activity related to non-painful and painful stimuli in the condition of waking state (no hypnotic effect).
Clinical neurophysiology: official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology 04/2013; · 3.12 Impact Factor
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Claudio Del Percio,
Antonio I Triggiani,
Nicola Marzano,
Anna Valenzano,
Mario De Rosas,
Annamaria Petito,
Antonello Bellomo,
Brunello Lecce,
Ciro Mundi,
Francesco Infarinato,
Andrea Soricelli,
Cristina Limatola,
Giuseppe Cibelli, Claudio Babiloni
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ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVE: Obese subjects without eating disorders were characterised by poor electroencephalographic (EEG) alpha rhythms during resting-state eye-closed condition (Babiloni et al., 2011b). Is this true also for the desynchronisation of alpha rhythms during resting-state eyes opening? METHODS: EEG data were recorded in 15 underweight, 20 normal-weight, and 18 overweight/obese subjects during resting-state eyes-closed and -open conditions. EEG sources were estimated by LORETA for alpha 1 (8-10.5Hz) and alpha 2 (10.5-13Hz). The alpha desynchronisation was calculated as the difference eyes-open minus -closed condition. RESULTS: The occipital alpha 1 desynchronisation was lower in overweight/obese and underweight subjects compared with normal-weight subjects (p<0.000005). The same was true for parietal, occipital and temporal alpha 2 (10.5-13Hz) desynchronisation (p<0.000002). The parietal and temporal alpha 1 desynchronisation was lower in overweight/obese than in normal-weight subjects (p<0.00001). These effects spatially matched those observed in the resting-state eyes-closed condition. CONCLUSION: Subjects with abnormal weight and normal eating behaviour are characterised by poor alpha desynchronisation during resting-state eyes opening. SIGNIFICANCE: Obese subjects without eating disorders show abnormal mechanisms of cortical neural synchronisation and desynchronisation of alpha rhythms in the resting state condition.
Clinical neurophysiology: official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology 02/2013; · 3.12 Impact Factor
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Claudio Babiloni,
Roberta Lizio,
Claudio Del Percio,
Nicola Marzano,
Andrea Soricelli,
Elena Salvatore,
Raffaele Ferri,
Filomena I I Cosentino,
Gioacchino Tedeschi,
Patrizia Montella,
Silvia Marino,
Simona De Salvo,
Guido Rodriguez,
Flavio Nobili,
Fabrizio Vernieri,
Francesca Ursini,
Ciro Mundi,
Jill C Richardson,
Giovanni B Frisoni,
Paolo M Rossini
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ABSTRACT: Cortical sources of resting state electroencephalographic (EEG) rhythms are abnormal in subjects with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here we tested the hypothesis that these sources are also sensitive to the progression of early stage AD over the course of one year. The resting state eyes-closed EEG data were recorded in 88 mild AD patients at baseline (Mini Mental State Evaluation, MMSE I = 21.7 ± 0.2 standard error, SE) and at approximately one-year follow up (13.3 months ± 0.5 SE; MMSE II = 20 ± 0.4 SE). All patients received standard therapy with acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. EEG recordings were also performed in 35 normal elderly (Nold) subjects as controls. EEG rhythms of interest were delta (2-4 Hz), theta (4-8 Hz), alpha 1 (8-10.5 Hz), alpha 2 (10.5-13 Hz), beta 1 (13-20 Hz), beta 2 (20-30 Hz), and gamma (30-40 Hz). Cortical EEG sources were estimated by low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (LORETA). Compared to the Nold subjects, the mild AD patients were characterized by a power increase of widespread delta sources and by a power decrease of posterior alpha sources. In the mild AD patients, the follow-up EEG recordings showed increased power of widespread delta sources as well as decreased power of widespread alpha and posterior beta 1 sources. These results suggest that the resting state EEG sources were sensitive, at least at group level, to the cognitive decline occurring in the mild AD group over a one-year period, and might represent cost-effective and non-invasive markers with which to enrich cohorts of AD patients that decline faster for clinical studies.
Journal of Alzheimer's disease: JAD 01/2013; · 3.74 Impact Factor
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Claudio Babiloni,
Fabrizio Vecchio,
Claudio Del Percio,
Sara Montagnese,
Sami Schiff,
Roberta Lizio,
Giorgia Chini,
Gaetano Serviddio,
Nicola Marzano,
Andrea Soricelli,
Giovanni B Frisoni,
Paolo M Rossini,
Piero Amodio
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ABSTRACT: Patients suffering from prodromal (i.e., amnestic mild cognitive impairment, aMCI) and overt Alzheimer's disease (AD) show abnormal cortical sources of resting state electroencephalographic (EEG) rhythms. Here we tested the hypothesis that these sources show extensive abnormalities in liver cirrhosis (LC) patients with a cognitive impairment due to covert and diffuse hepatic encephalopathy (CHE). EEG activity was recorded in 64 LC (including 21 CHE), 21 aMCI, 21 AD, and 21 cognitively intact (Nold) subjects. EEG rhythms of interest were delta (2-4 Hz), theta (4-8 Hz), alpha 1 (8-10.5 Hz), alpha 2 (10.5-13 Hz), beta 1 (13-20 Hz), and beta 2 (20-30 Hz). EEG cortical sources were estimated by LORETA. Widespread sources of theta (all but frontal), alpha 1 (all but occipital), and alpha 2 (parietal, temporal) rhythms were higher in amplitude in all LC patients than in the Nold subjects. In these LC patients, the activity of central, parietal, and temporal theta sources correlated negatively, and parietal and temporal alpha 2 sources correlated positively with an index of global cognitive status. Finally, widespread theta (all but frontal) and alpha 1 (all but occipital) sources showed higher activity in the sub-group of LC patients with CHE than in the patients with aMCI or AD. These results unveiled the larger spatial-frequency abnormalities of the resting state EEG sources in the CHE compared to the AD condition.
Journal of Alzheimer's disease: JAD 12/2012; · 3.74 Impact Factor
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Claudio Babiloni,
Claudio Del Percio,
Regis Bordet,
Jean-Luis Bourriez,
Marina Bentivoglio,
Pierre Payoux,
Philippe Derambure,
Sophie Dix,
Francesco Infarinato,
Roberta Lizio,
Antonio Ivano Triggiani,
Jill C Richardson,
Paolo M Rossini
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ABSTRACT: Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs) are the most widely used symptomatic treatment for mild to severe Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, while N-methyl-d-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor antagonist memantine is licensed for use in moderate to severe AD patients. In this article, the effect of these compounds on resting state eyes-closed electroencephalographic (EEG) rhythms in AD patients is reviewed to form a knowledge platform for the European Innovative Medicine Initiative project "PharmaCog" (IMI Grant Agreement No. 115009) aimed at developing innovative translational models for drug testing in AD. Indeed, quite similar EEG experiments and the same kind of spectral data analysis can be performed in animal models of AD and in elderly individuals with prodromal or manifest AD. Several studies have shown that AChEIs affect both resting state EEG rhythms and cognitive functions in AD patients. After few weeks of successful treatment, delta (0-3Hz) or theta (4-7Hz) rhythms decrease, dominant alpha rhythms (8-10Hz) increase, and cognitive functions slightly improve. Beneficial effects of these rhythms and cognitive functions were also found in AD responders to the long-term successful treatment (i.e. 6-12months). In contrast, only one study has explored the long-term effects of memantine on EEG rhythms in AD patients, showing reduced theta rhythms. The present review enlightens the expected effects of AChEIs on resting state EEG rhythms in AD patients as promising EEG markers for the development of translational protocols both within the PharmaCog project and for wider use.
Clinical neurophysiology: official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology 10/2012; · 3.12 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Event-related desynchronization/synchronization (ERD/ERS) at alpha (10 Hz), beta (20 Hz), and gamma (40 Hz) bands and movement-related potentials (MRPs) were investigated in right-handed subjects who were "free" to decide the side of unilateral finger movements ("fixed" side as a control). As a novelty, this "multi-modal" EEG analysis was combined with the evaluation of involuntary mirror movements, taken as an index of "bimanual competition." A main issue was whether the decision regarding the hand to be moved ("free" movements) could modulate ERD/ERS or MRPs overlying sensorimotor cortical areas typically involved in bimanual tasks. Compared to "fixed" movements, "free" movements induced the following effects: (1) more involuntary mirror movements discarded from EEG analysis; (2) stronger vertex MRPs (right motor acts); (3) a positive correlation between these potentials and the number of involuntary mirror movements; (4) gamma ERS over central areas; and (5) preponderance of postmovement beta ERS over left central area (dominant hemisphere). These results suggest that ERD/ERS and MRPs derance provide complementary information on the cortical processes belonging to a lateralized motor act... (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Journal of Psychophysiology 10/2012; 17(2):69-86. · 1.54 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: In a previous study, we have shown that passive recognition of tactile geometrical shapes (i.e. no exploratory movement) engages prefrontal and premotor areas in addition to somatosensory regions (Savini et al., 2010). In the present study we tested the hypothesis that these regions are involved not only in the perception but also during working memory of such somatic information. We performed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during the execution of N-BACK tasks, with 2D geometrical shapes blindly pressed on the subjects' right hand palm. Three conditions with increasing memory load (0-BACK, 1-BACK, 2-BACK) were used. Results showed that primary somatosensory area (SI), secondary somatosensory area (SII) and bilateral Insula were active in all conditions, confirming their importance in coding somatosensory stimuli. Activation of fronto-parietal circuit in supplementary motor area (SMA), right superior parietal lobe (rSPL), bilateral middle frontal gyrus, left inferior frontal gyrus, and right superior frontal sulcus was significantly larger during 1-BACK and 2-BACK than 0-BACK. Left superior parietal lobe and right frontal eye field showed a higher activation during the 2-BACK than 0-BACK. Finally, SMA and rSPL were characterized by a statistically significant higher activation during 2-BACK than 1-BACK, revealing their sensitivity to the memory load. These results suggest that working memory of tactile geometrical shapes (no exploratory movement) involves a complex circuit of modal and supramodal fronto-parietal areas.
International journal of psychophysiology: official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology 10/2012; · 3.05 Impact Factor
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Claudio Babiloni,
Francesco Infarinato,
Fabienne Aujard,
Jesper Frank Bastlund,
Marina Bentivoglio,
Giuseppe Bertini,
Claudio Del Percio,
Paolo Francesco Fabene,
Gianluigi Forloni,
Maria Trinidad Herrero Ezquerro,
Francesco Mattia Noè,
Fabien Pifferi,
Francisco Ros-Bernal,
Ditte Zerlang Christensen,
Sophie Dix,
Jill C Richardson,
Yves Lamberty,
Wilhelmus Drinkenburg,
Paolo Maria Rossini
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ABSTRACT: Different kinds of challenge can alter spontaneous ongoing electroencephalographic (EEG) rhythms in animal models, thus providing paradigms to evaluate treatment effects in drug discovery. The effects of challenges represented by pharmacological agents, hypoxia, sleep deprivation and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) on EEG rhythms are here reviewed to build a knowledge platform for innovative translational models for drug discovery in Alzheimer's disease (AD). It has been reported that antagonists of cholinergic neurotransmission cause synchronisation of spontaneous ongoing EEG rhythms in terms of enhanced power of EEG low frequencies and decreased power of EEG high frequencies. Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and serotonergic drugs may restore a normal pattern of EEG desynchronisation. Sleep deprivation and hypoxia challenges have also been reported to elicit abnormal synchronisation of spontaneous ongoing EEG rhythms in rodents. The feasibility and reproducibility of TMS have been demonstrated in rodents but information on a consistent modulation of EEG after TMS manipulation is very limited. Transgenic mice over-expressing human amyloid precursor protein complementary DNAs (cDNAs) harbouring the 'Swedish' mutation and PS-1 cDNAs harbouring the A264E mutation, which recapitulate some of the pathological features of AD, exhibit alterations of spontaneous ongoing EEG rhythms at several low and high frequencies. This does not appear, however, to be a consequence of beta-amyloid deposition in the brain. The present review provides a critical evaluation of changes of spontaneous ongoing EEG rhythms due to the experimental manipulations described above, in order to stimulate the promote more adherent models fitting dynamics in humans.
Clinical neurophysiology: official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology 10/2012; · 3.12 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: TMS interference over right intraparietal sulcus (IPS) causally disrupts behaviorally and EEG rhythmic correlates of endogenous spatial orienting before visual target presentation [Capotosto, P., Babiloni, C., Romani, G. L., & Corbetta, M. Differential contribution of right and left parietal cortex to the control of spatial attention: A simultaneous EEG-rTMS study. Cerebral Cortex, 22, 446-454, 2012; Capotosto, P., Babiloni, C., Romani, G. L., & Corbetta, M. Fronto-parietal cortex controls spatial attention through modulation of anticipatory alpha rhythms. Journal of Neuroscience, 29, 5863-5872, 2009]. Here we combine data from our previous studies to examine whether right parietal TMS during spatial orienting also impairs stimulus-driven reorienting or the ability to efficiently process unattended stimuli, that is, stimuli outside the current focus of attention. Healthy volunteers (n = 24) performed a Posner spatial cueing task while their EEG activity was being monitored. Repetitive TMS (rTMS) was applied for 150 msec simultaneously to the presentation of a central arrow directing spatial attention to the location of an upcoming visual target. Right IPS-rTMS impaired target detection, especially for stimuli presented at unattended locations; it also caused a modulation of the amplitude of parieto-occipital positive ERPs peaking at about 480 msec (P3) post-target. The P3 significantly decreased for unattended targets and significantly increased for attended targets after right IPS-rTMS as compared with sham stimulation. Similar effects were obtained for left IPS stimulation albeit in a smaller group of volunteers. We conclude that disruption of anticipatory processes in right IPS has prolonged effects that persist during target processing. The P3 decrement may reflect interference with postdecision processes that are part of stimulus-driven reorienting. Right IPS is a node of functional interaction between endogenous spatial orienting and stimulus-driven reorienting processes in human vision.
Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience 08/2012; · 5.18 Impact Factor
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Claudio Babiloni,
Fabrizio Vecchio,
Paola Buffo,
Paolo Onorati,
Chiara Muratori,
Stefano Ferracuti,
Paolo Roma,
Michele Battuello,
Nicole Donato,
Paola Pellegrini,
Francesco Di Campli,
Laura Gianserra,
Elisabetta Teti,
Antonio Aceti,
Paolo M Rossini,
Alfredo Pennica
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ABSTRACT: The aim of the study was to test the hypothesis that cortical sources of resting-state electroencephalographic (EEG) rhythms show peculiar frequency/spatial features in naïve human subjects with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) compared to healthy control subjects.
Resting-state eyes-closed EEG data were recorded in 18 naïve HIV subjects (15 males; mean age 39years±2.0 standard error of mean, SEM) and in 18 age-matched cognitively normal subjects (15 males; 38.7years±2.2 SEM). EEG rhythms of interest were delta (2-4Hz), theta (4-8Hz), alpha1 (8-10Hz), alpha2 (10-12Hz), beta1 (13-20Hz) and beta2 (20-30Hz). Cortical EEG sources were estimated by normalised, low-resolution electromagnetic tomography (LORETA).
Mini Mental State Evaluation (MMSE) score was lower in HIV (26.5±0.7 SEM) than in healthy (29.2±0.5 SEM) subjects (p<0.05). Central and parietal delta sources showed higher amplitude in the HIV than in control subjects. Furthermore, topographically widespread, cortical sources of resting-state alpha rhythms were lower in amplitude in HIV subjects than in control subjects.
The present results suggest that topography and frequency of the cortical sources of resting-state EEG rhythms can distinguish groups of HIV and control subjects.
These results encourage future studies in an enlarged cohort of HIV subjects to test the hypothesis that the present methodological approach provides clinically useful information for an early detection of the effect of HIV infection on brain and cognitive functions.
Clinical neurophysiology: official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology 08/2012; 123(11):2163-71. · 3.12 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVE: Brain rhythms of both hemispheres are involved in the processing of emotional stimuli but their interdependence between the two hemispheres is poorly known. Here we tested the hypothesis that passive visual perception of facial emotional expressions is related to a coordination of the two hemispheres as revealed by the inter-hemispherical functional coupling of brain electroencephalographic (EEG) rhythms. METHODS: To this aim, EEG data were recorded in 14 subjects observing emotional faces with neutral, happy or sad facial expressions (about 33% for each class). The EEG data were analyzed by directed transfer function (DTF), which estimates directional functional coupling of EEG rhythms. The EEG rhythms of interest were theta (about 4-6Hz), alpha 1 (about 6-8Hz), alpha 2 (about 8-10Hz), alpha 3 (about 10-12Hz), beta 1 (13-20Hz), beta 2 (21-30Hz), and gamma (31-44Hz). RESULTS: In the frontal regions, inter-hemispherical DTF values were bidirectionally higher in amplitude across all frequency bands, during the perception of faces with sad compared to neutral or happy expressions. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the processing of emotional negative facial expressions is related to an enhancement of a reciprocal inter-hemispherical flux of information in frontal cortex, possibly optimizing executive functions and motor control. SIGNIFICANCE: Dichotomical view of hemispherical functional specializations does not take into account remarkable reciprocal interactions between frontal areas of the two hemispheres during the processing of negative facial expressions.
Clinical neurophysiology: official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology 08/2012; · 3.12 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The brain needs continuous oxygen supply even in resting-state. Hypoxia enhances resting-state electroencephalographic (EEG) rhythms in the delta range, and reduces those in the alpha range, with a pattern similar to that observed in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here we tested whether resting-state cortical EEG rhythms in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF), as a model of acute hypoxia, present frequency similarities with AD patients, comparable by cognitive status revealed by the mini mental state examination (MMSE).
Eyes-closed EEG data were recorded in 10 CHF patients, 20 AD patients, and 20 healthy elderly subjects (Nold) as controls. LORETA software estimated cortical EEG generators.
Compared to Nold, both AD and CHF groups presented higher delta (2-4Hz) and lower alpha (8-13Hz) temporal sources. The highest delta and lowest alpha sources were observed in CHF subjects. In these subjects, the global amplitude of delta sources correlated with brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) level in the blood, as a marker of disease severity.
Resting-state delta and alpha rhythms suggest analogies between the effects of acute hypoxia and AD neurodegeneration on the cortical neurons' synchronization.
Acute ischemic hypoxia could affect the mechanisms of cortical neural synchronization generating resting state EEG rhythms, inducing the "slowing" of EEG rhythms typically observed in AD patients.
International journal of psychophysiology: official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology 07/2012; 86(1):98-107. · 3.05 Impact Factor
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Claudio Babiloni,
Giacomo Stella,
Paola Buffo,
Fabrizio Vecchio,
Paolo Onorati,
Chiara Muratori,
Silvia Miano,
Flavia Gheller,
Laura Antonaci,
Giorgio Albertini,
Paolo M Rossini
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ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVE: Previous studies have been inconclusive whether dominant resting state alpha rhythms differ in amplitude in dyslexic subjects when compared to control subjects, being these rhythms considered as a reflection of effective cortical neural synchronization and cognition. Here we used a validated EEG source estimation to test the hypothesis that resting state alpha rhythms are abnormal in dyslexic subjects and are related to reading deficits. METHODS: Eyes-closed resting state electroencephalographic (EEG) data were recorded in 26 dyslexics (12 males, mean age of 11years±0.5standard error of mean, SEM) and 11 age-matched normal control subjects (8 males, mean age of 11years±0.7SEM). EEG rhythms of interest, based on individual alpha frequency peak, were the following: about 2-4Hz (delta), 4-6Hz (theta), 6-8Hz (alpha 1), 8-10Hz (alpha 2), and 10-12Hz (alpha 3). For the higher frequencies, we selected beta 1 (13-20Hz), beta 2 (20-30Hz), and gamma (30-40Hz). Cortical EEG sources were estimated by low resolution electromagnetic tomography (LORETA). LORETA solutions were normalized across all voxels and frequencies. RESULTS: Compared to the control children, the dyslexics showed lower amplitude of parietal, occipital, and temporal alpha 2 and alpha 3 sources. In the dyslexics, some of these sources were correlated to reading time of pseudo-words (parietal alpha 2, r=-0.56, p=0.02; parietal alpha 3, r=-0.58, p=0.02; temporal alpha 3, r=-0.57, p=0.02); the higher the alpha power, the shorter the reading time. CONCLUSIONS: Dyslexic children are characterized by limited abnormalities of resting state EEG rhythms as to topography (posterior regions) and frequency (alpha), which were related to phonological encoding (pseudo-words reading). SIGNIFICANCE: Dyslexia may be associated to some functional impairment of cortical neuronal synchronization mechanisms involved in the resting state condition.
Clinical neurophysiology: official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology 06/2012; · 3.12 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: It has been reported that GSM electromagnetic fields (GSM-EMFs) of mobile phones modulate - after a prolonged exposure - inter-hemispheric synchronization of temporal and frontal resting electroencephalographic (EEG) rhythms in normal young and elderly subjects (Vecchio et al., 2007, 2010). Here we tested the hypothesis that this can be even more evident in epileptic patients, who typically suffer from abnormal mechanisms governing synchronization of rhythmic firing of cortical neurons. Eyes-closed resting EEG data were recorded in ten patients affected by focal epilepsy in real and sham exposure conditions. These data were compared with those obtained from 15 age-matched normal subjects of the previous reference studies. The GSM device was turned on (45 min) in the "GSM" condition and was turned off (45 min) in the other condition ("sham"). The mobile phone was always positioned on the left side in both patients and control subjects. Spectral coherence evaluated the inter-hemispheric synchronization of EEG rhythms at the following frequency bands: delta (about 2-4 Hz), theta (about 4-6 Hz), alpha1 (about 6-8 Hz), alpha2 (about 8-10 Hz), and alpha3 (about 10-12 Hz). The effects on the patients were investigated comparing the inter-hemispheric EEG coherence in the epileptic patients with the control group of subjects evaluated in the previous reference studies. Compared with the control subjects, epileptic patients showed a statistically significant higher inter-hemispheric coherence of temporal and frontal alpha rhythms (about 8-12 Hz) in the GSM than "Sham" condition. These results suggest that GSM-EMFs of mobile phone may affect inter-hemispheric synchronization of the dominant (alpha) EEG rhythms in epileptic patients. If confirmed by future studies on a larger group of epilepsy patients, the modulation of the inter-hemispheric alpha coherence due to the GSM-EMFs could have clinical implications and be related to changes in cognitive-motor function.
International journal of psychophysiology: official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology 02/2012; 84(2):164-71. · 3.05 Impact Factor
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Claudio Babiloni,
Filippo Carducci,
Roberta Lizio,
Fabrizio Vecchio,
Annalisa Baglieri,
Silvia Bernardini,
Enrica Cavedo,
Alessandro Bozzao,
Carla Buttinelli,
Fabrizio Esposito, [......],
Gioacchino Tedeschi,
Raffaele Ferri,
Giancarlo Rossi-Fedele,
Francesca Ursini,
Federica Scrascia,
Fabrizio Vernieri,
Torleif Jan Pedersen,
Hans-Goran Hardemark,
Paolo M Rossini,
Giovanni B Frisoni
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ABSTRACT: Cortical gray matter volume and resting state cortical electroencephalographic rhythms are typically abnormal in subjects with amnesic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Here we tested the hypothesis that in amnesic MCI and AD subjects, abnormalities of EEG rhythms are a functional reflection of cortical atrophy across the disease. Eyes-closed resting state EEG data were recorded in 57 healthy elderly (Nold), 102 amnesic MCI, and 108 AD patients. Cortical gray matter volume was indexed by magnetic resonance imaging recorded in the MCI and AD subjects according to Alzheimer's disease neuroimaging initiative project (http://www.adni-info.org/). EEG rhythms of interest were delta (2-4 Hz), theta (4-8 Hz), alpha1 (8-10.5 Hz), alpha2 (10.5-13 Hz), beta1 (13-20 Hz), beta2 (20-30 Hz), and gamma (30-40 Hz). These rhythms were indexed by LORETA. Compared with the Nold, the MCI showed a decrease in amplitude of alpha 1 sources. With respect to the Nold and MCI, the AD showed an amplitude increase of delta sources, along with a strong amplitude reduction of alpha 1 sources. In the MCI and AD subjects as a whole group, the lower the cortical gray matter volume, the higher the delta sources, the lower the alpha 1 sources. The better the score to cognitive tests the higher the gray matter volume, the lower the pathological delta sources, and the higher the alpha sources. These results suggest that in amnesic MCI and AD subjects, abnormalities of resting state cortical EEG rhythms are not epiphenomena but are strictly related to neurodegeneration (atrophy of cortical gray matter) and cognition. Hum Brain Mapp, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Human Brain Mapping 02/2012; · 5.88 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Playing music in ensemble represents a unique human condition/performance where musicians should rely on empathic relationships. Recent theories attribute to frontal Brodmann areas (BAs) 44/45 and 10/11 a neural basis for "emotional" and "cognitive" empathy. We hypothesized that activity of these structures reflects empathy trait in professional musicians playing in ensemble. Simultaneous electroencephalographic (EEG) alpha rhythms (8-12 Hz) were recorded in three saxophone quartets during music performance in ensemble (EXECUTION), video observation of their own performance (OBSERVATION), a control task (CONTROL), and resting state (RESTING). EEG source estimation was performed. Results showed that the higher the empathy quotient test score, the higher the alpha desynchronization in right BA 44/45 during the OBSERVATION referenced to RESTING condition. Empathy trait score and alpha desynchronization were not correlated in other control areas or in EXECUTION/CONTROL conditions. These results suggest that alpha rhythms in BA 44/45 reflect "emotional" empathy in musicians observing own performance.
NeuroImage 12/2011; 60(1):105-16. · 5.89 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that compared with non-athletes, elite athletes are characterized by a reduction of reactivity of electroencephalographic (EEG) alpha rhythms (about 8-12 Hz) to eyes opening in the condition of resting state, as a possible index of spatially selective cortical activation (i.e. "neural efficiency"). EEG data (56 channels; Eb-Neuro©) were recorded in 18 elite karate athletes and 28 non-athletes during resting state eyes-closed and eyes-open conditions. The EEG data were spatially enhanced by surface Laplacian estimation. Cortical activity was indexed by task-related power decrease (TRPD), namely the alpha power during the eyes-open referenced to the eyes-closed resting condition. Low-frequency alpha TRPD (about 8-10 Hz) was lower in the elite karate athletes than in the non-athletes in frontal (p<0.00002), central (p<0.008) and right occipital (p<0.02) areas. Similarly, high-frequency alpha TRPD (about 10-12 Hz) was lower in the elite karate athletes than in the non-athletes in frontal (p<0.00009) and central (p<0.01) areas. These results suggest that athletes' brain is characterized by reduced cortical reactivity to eyes opening in the condition of resting state, in line with the "neural efficiency" hypothesis. The present study motivates future research evaluating the extent to which this general functional brain feature is related to heritable trait or intensive visuo-motor training of elite athletes.
International journal of psychophysiology: official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology 09/2011; 82(3):240-7. · 3.05 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: It has been shown that frontocentral electroencephalographic (EEG) alpha rhythms (about 10-12 Hz) were higher in amplitude in expert golfers in successful than unsuccessful putts, possibly reflecting the idea that amplitude regulation of frontocentral alpha rhythms is a physiological mechanism implied in motor control and golfer's performance (Babiloni et al., 2008). Here, we tested the ancillary hypothesis that golfer's performance is also associated to an improved coordination of cortical activity, as reflected by functional coupling of alpha rhythms across cortical regions. To this aim, between-electrodes spectral coherence was computed from spatially enhanced EEG data of the mentioned study (i.e. right handed 12 expert golfers; augmented 10-20 system; surface Laplacian estimation). Low- (about 8-10 Hz) and high-frequency (about 10-12 Hz) alpha sub-bands were considered with reference to individual alpha frequency peak. Statistical results showed that intra-hemispheric low-frequency alpha coherence in bilateral parietal-frontal (P3-F3 and P4-F4 electrodes) and parietal-central (P3-C3 and P4-C4 electrodes) was higher in amplitude in successful than unsuccessful putts (p<0.004). The same was true for intra-hemispheric high-frequency alpha coherence in bilateral parietal-frontal regions (p<0.004). These findings suggest that intra-hemispheric functional coupling of cortical alpha rhythms between "visuo-spatial" parietal area and other cortical areas is implicated in fine motor control of golfer's performance.
International journal of psychophysiology: official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology 09/2011; 82(3):260-8. · 3.05 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Here we test the hypothesis that cortical source mapping of resting state electroencephalographic (EEG) rhythms could characterize neurodegenerative disorders inducing cognitive impairment such as Parkinson's disease related dementia (PDD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD).
To address this issue, eyes-closed resting state EEG rhythms were recorded in 13 PDD, 20 AD, and 20 normal elderly (Nold) subjects. Age, gender, and education were carefully matched across the three groups. Mini Mental State Evaluation (MMSE) score probed subjects' global cognitive status, and was matched between the PDD and AD groups. EEG rhythms of interest were delta (2-4 Hz), theta (4-8 Hz), alpha1 (8-10.5 Hz), alpha2 (10.5-13 Hz), beta1 (13-20 Hz), and beta2 (20-30 Hz). EEG cortical sources were estimated by low resolution brain electromagnetic source tomography (LORETA).
With respect to the Nold and AD groups, the PPD group was characterized by peculiar abnormalities of central delta sources and posterior cortical sources of theta and beta1 rhythms. With respect to the Nold group, the PDD and AD groups mainly pointed to lower posterior cortical sources of alpha1 rhythms, which were positively correlated to MMSE score across all PDD and AD subjects as a whole (the lower the alpha sources, the lower the MMSE score). This alpha decrease was greater in the AD than PPD patients.
The results suggest that topography and frequency of eyes-closed resting state cortical EEG rhythms distinguished PDD and AD groups.
We report the existence of different effects of neurodegeneration on the cortical neural synchronization mechanisms generating resting state EEG rhythms in PDD and AD patients.
Clinical neurophysiology: official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology 09/2011; 122(12):2355-64. · 3.12 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: It has been shown that electromagnetic fields of Global System for Mobile Communications phone (GSM-EMFs) affect human brain rhythms (Vecchio et al., 2007, 2010), but it is not yet clear whether these effects are related to alterations of cognitive functions.
Eleven healthy adults underwent two electroencephalographic (EEG) sessions separated by 1 week, following a cross-over, placebo-controlled, double-blind paradigm. In both sessions, they performed a visual go/no-go task before real exposure to GSM-EMFs or after a sham condition with no EMF exposure. In the GSM real session, temporal cortex was continuously exposed to GSM-EMFs for 45 min. In the sham session, the subjects were not aware that the EMFs had been switched off for the duration of the experiment. In the go/no-go task, a central fixation stimulus was followed by a green (50% of probability) or red visual stimulus. Subjects had to press the mouse button after the green stimuli (go trials). With reference to a baseline period, power decrease of low- (about 8-10 Hz) and high-frequency (about 10-12 Hz) alpha rhythms indexed the cortical activity.
It was found less power decrease of widely distributed high-frequency alpha rhythms and faster reaction time to go stimuli in the post- than pre-exposure period of the GSM session. No effect was found in the sham session.
These results suggest that the peak amplitude of alpha ERD and the reaction time to the go stimuli are modulated by the effect of the GSM-EMFs on the cortical activity.
Exposure to GSM-EMFs for 45 min may enhance human cortical neural efficiency and simple cognitive-motor processes in healthy adults.
Clinical neurophysiology: official journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology 08/2011; 123(1):121-8. · 3.12 Impact Factor
